Daily Current Affairs for Competitive Exams – 13 March 2018

1. Russia ‘test-fires hypersonic Kinzhal missile’.

Russia says it has successfully test-launched a hypersonic missile, one of a range of nuclear-capable weapons announced by President Vladimir Putin earlier this month.

The country’s defence ministry released video footage showing the missile detaching from a fighter jet and leaving a fiery trail behind it.

2. India top medals tally at Shooting World Cup with four gold medals.

Four gold, one silver and three bronze: That is the best ever medals tally for India at a ISSF Shooting World Cup. In Gaudalajara, Mexico, despite not winning a medal on the final day of the tournament, India finished at the top of the tally.

India had three shooter in compeitition on final day but they all failed to medal. Smit Singh was placed 15th in the qualifying round. Two others — Angad Bajwa and Sheeraz Sheikh — finished 18th and 30th respecitively. Hancock, the 2008 and 2012 Olympic champion, won the gold.

The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate The Delhi End TB Summit at Vigyan Bhawan in the capital.

The Summit will be co-hosted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, WHO South East Asia Regional Office (SEARO) and Stop TB Partnership.

The Prime Minister will launch Tuberculosis Free India Campaign on this occasion.

TB free India Campaign will take the activities of National Strategic Plan for TB elimination forward in Mission mode.

4. Nearly a Decade After 26/11, India’s First Coastal Policing Academy Set up in Gujarat.

The NACP is the first-of-its-kind institution, which has been created and will be managed by a multi-agency team of paramilitary and defence forces. It will train the marine forces of states, which have sea lines.

An official order also mentions that the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD), which is the Union Home Ministry’s Policing Think Tank, will head the establishment, and run the academy. Various factions of the armed forces will be involved, each playing various roles.

The BSF, will form part of the core committee, and will also provide security to the Arabian Sea Cost campus, which is at a flying distance from the Pakistan Coast.

5. Centre Constitutes Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal.

The Centre today constituted the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal for resolution of the longstanding dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh over sharing of Mahanadi water.

The tribunal was formed as per section 4 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 following the Supreme Court directive on January 23, 2018, revealed a notification issued by the Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

6. Passport details must for loans of Rs 50 cr and above.

Passport details of borrowers taking loans of Rs 50 crore and more have been made mandatory to ensure a swift action in case of fraud and prevent fraudsters from fleeing the country.

Passport details will help banks to take timely action and inform the relevant authorities to prevent fraudsters from fleeing the country.

7. Amol Palekar receives ‘Godavari Gaurav’ award.

Noted actor Amol Palekar was honoured with the ‘Godavari Gaurav’ award at an event here last night.

The 73-year-old actor, known for his performance in films like “Gol Maal” , “Choti Si Baat”, “Chitchor” among others, was presented with the award, which has been instituted by city-based ‘Kusumagraj Prathishthan’.
The award was given by noted Marathi writer Madhu Mangesh Karnik, who is the chairperson the Prathishthan.

8. KVGB rolls out loan scheme for women entrepreneurs.

Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) has launched ‘Vikas She Plus’, a loan scheme for women to take up new ventures or for expanding/modifying the existing enterprises.

This scheme provides loan up to a maximum of Rs 2 lakh with a repayment period of 60 months.

The bank has disbursed loans amounting to Rs 22 crore to about 2,500 women beneficiaries on the day of launch itself.

9. Sitanshu Kar to be next head of PIB.

All India Radios News Services Division (NSD) Director General Sitanshu Kar will be the next head of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) after superannuation of Frank Noronha on April 30.

Kar, a senior Indian Information Service (IIS) officer, will take charge as PIB head on May 1.

10. Wrestler Navjot Kaur jumps to No. 2 in world rankings.

Navjot Kaur, who clinched a gold medal at the recently concluded Asian Wrestling Championships in Bishkek, has jumped to the second spot in the world women’s 65kg weight category rankings released by United World Wrestling.
Navjot represented Bengaluru Yodhas in the first season of the Pro Wrestling League adding to the list of eight more PWL players who have successfully got their places in the recently released UWW rankings, according to a media release on Sunday.
In the same category, Finland’s Petra Oly, the 2016 European Champion, has secured the first place in the UWW rankings.